Removal of Barton Springs pecan tree ‘Flo’ delayed

AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Parks and Recreation is delaying the removal of a century-old pecan tree named Flo that arches over a sidewalk by Barton Springs. The announcement came days after the city released assessments from four certified arborists who recommended the removal of the tree.

On Sept. 8, the city released the arborists’ reports and encouraged the public to send in photos and other memories of Flo in preparation for the tree’s removal and a celebration of life ceremony. But days later, on Sept. 11, the city announced that the removal of Flo, along with the ceremony, would be delayed “while the Department reviews additional considerations.”

Back in July, PARD staff noticed fungus at the bottom of the tree during a routine check. They then sent samples to the plant diagnostic lab at Texas A&M for review. In August, the results confirmed the tree had been infected with Kretzschmaria deusta, or brittle cinder fungus.

Assessment reports from certified arborists make similar conclusions. One report from Arbor Vitae Tree Care said the risk of Flo falling and hitting someone, potentially fatally, is high. Because of this, all four arborists recommended the tree be removed.

“Put plainly, this tree’s trunk is entirely hollow and it therefore has an extremely high risk of failing, most likely when it is in leaf, which is the time of year when visitor traffic is highest at the pool, making the probability of part of it hitting someone also extremely high. The injuries could quite likely be fatal,” the report from Arbor Vitae reads. “The only way to assure that this tree does not hit someone if it is kept would be to completely cordon off the entire area under it, which would need to include area inside the pool itself. In my opinion doing so would pose other significant safety concerns, particularly for swimmers.”

Flo has provided shade for several generations of Barton Springs visitors for around 100 years. The earliest dated photos of the pecan tree are from 1925 or 1926.

There is a healthy tree that was planted just above Flo sometime in the 1970s or 1980s — according to the city — that could grow to replace Flo.

The city encourages the public to send in photos, stories and any memories of Flo to treestories@austintexas.gov.